Adjustable joist hanger

ABSTRACT

An adjustable bracket for supporting a first building member extending in a first direction relative to a second building member extending in a second direction, the bracket including a pair of bracket portions, each bracket portion having an attachment flange oriented in a first plane, a side support oriented in a second plane and a base wall oriented in a third plane, wherein the separation distance between the side supports of the respective bracket portions is adjustable to accommodate different thickness of first building members therebetween.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the building industry and moreparticularly to apparatus used to attach a building member extending ina first direction to a building member extending in a second direction.

BACKGROUND ART

Brackets and clips for attaching a building member extending in a firstdirection to a building member extending in a second direction areknown.

Brackets such as these are known by a variety of names including beamhangers, joist hangers, truss hangers, truss boots or joist boots. Thesebrackets are suitable for connecting any common thickness of timber beamto another beam. Some examples of known brackets are illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 5.

As can be seen, these brackets include a pair of flanges extending in afirst plane adapted to attach to a building beam extending in a firstdirection, a pair of flanges extending in a second direction and a lowersupport member between the a pair of flanges extending in a seconddirection to define a U-shaped opening into which the end of a buildingbeam extending in a second direction is placed. The lower support membersupports the end of the beam extending in the second direction andflanges extending in a second direction are attached to the flangesextending in the second direction.

One major disadvantage of the conventional brackets illustrated in FIGS.1 to 3 and 5 is that they are dimensioned to accept only one size ofbeam in the U-shaped opening. Therefore, the bracket is manufactured ina range of sizes to suit the standard dimensions of the beams which maybe used.

One joist hanger directed towards an attempt to solve theabove-mentioned problem does so by providing a so-called split joisthanger in which a pair of bracket portions are provided, each having apair of flanges to attach to a building beam extending in the firstdirection, a pair of side support flanges to attach to the beamextending in the second direction and a base flange to support a loweredge of the beam extending in the second direction. The base flanges ofthe respective bracket portions are not linked or joined in any mannerto one another and are simply located beneath the edge of the beam andextend towards each other.

As can be imagined, this configuration increases the number ofcomponents needed to fix one beam relative to another beam and is alsomuch weaker than a single piece joist hanger.

It would therefore be an advancement in the art if an adjustable bracketwas provided allowing for simple adjustment to suit a variety ofdimensions of beam. This would decrease the number of sizes of bracketthat would need to be manufactured and also reduce inventory which iscurrently required to be held by stockists of the brackets due to thevariety of sizes.

It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication isreferred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission thatthe publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art inAustralia or in any other country.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an adjustable joist hanger, whichmay at least partially overcome at least one of the abovementioneddisadvantages or provide the consumer with a useful or commercialchoice.

With the foregoing in view, the present invention in one form, residesbroadly in an adjustable bracket for supporting a first building memberextending in a first direction relative to a second building memberextending in a second direction, the bracket including a pair of bracketportions, each bracket portion having an attachment flange oriented in afirst plane, a side support oriented in a second plane and a base walloriented in a third plane, wherein the separation distance between theside supports of the respective bracket portions is adjustable toaccommodate different thickness of first building members therebetween.

Providing the bracket with an adjustable separation distance between theside support flanges allows an installer to adjust the distance wheninstalling the bracket. The present invention can therefore be adjustedto accommodate non-standard dimension beams and also allow forvariations in standard beam thicknesses which may exist.

The bracket of the present invention will typically also be manufacturedin a variety of sizes, but due to the adjustable nature of the bracketof the present invention, the number of varieties can be much reduced.

The attachment flanges may be of any shape or size. There may be anumber of attachment flange portions provided on each bracket portionbut preferably a single attachment flange will be provided extendingover the height of the bracket portion.

Each attachment flange will typically include at least one and normallya number of attachment openings adapted to receive attachment fastenerstherethrough. The number and position of the openings will normallydepend upon the size of the flanges and the openings.

The attachment flanges are typically attached to or preferably formedintegrally with the side supports.

The attachment flanges may be adapted for “face” mounting of the bracketor “top” mounting of the bracket.

Face mounting occurs when a pair of beams are oriented with their longerdimension in the same direction and the end of the first beam and abutsthe wider surface (as opposed to the edge) of the second beam. The widersurface of the second beam is known as “the face”.

Top mounting normally occurs where the second beam does not have aplanar face, for example where the second beam is an I-beam. In thesesituations, the attachment flanges may have L-shaped configuration witha foot portion of the L-shaped flange overlying an upper edge of thesecond beam and the upright portion of the L-shaped flange extendssubstantially perpendicularly to the foot portion and is also attachedor integrally formed with the side support member of the bracket.

Top mounting or face mounting may be used in any of the configurationsof the bracket including skewed brackets.

The attachment flanges may be of any thickness with thicker flangespreferred for more heavy duty applications. Similarly, the width of theattachment flanges may vary with wider flanges preferred for easierattachment or to accommodate larger gauge attachment fasteners whererequired, without weakening the bracket.

The side support flanges may be of any shape or size. There may be anumber of side support flange portions provided on each bracket portionbut preferably a single side support flange will be provided extendingover the height of the bracket portion, substantially equal in height tothe attachment flange.

Each side support flange will typically include at least one andnormally a number of attachment openings adapted to receive attachmentfasteners therethrough. The number and position of the openings willnormally depend upon the size of the flanges and the openings.

The side support flanges are typically attached to or preferably formedintegrally with the attachment flanges. The bracket portions willnormally be formed by cold drawing or similar fabrication method.Stamping may be used alternatively.

The side support flanges may be of any thickness with thicker flangespreferred for more heavy duty applications. Similarly, the width of theside support flanges may vary with wider flanges preferred for easierattachment or to accommodate larger gauge attachment fasteners whererequired, without weakening the bracket.

The base wall of each of the bracket portions may be connected to oneanother in a moveable manner. A slideable connection is preferred. Therespective base walls may be of the same width, or one base wall may belarger than the other. If one base wall is larger than the other, thelarger base wall will preferably be located beneath (or outside) theother of the base walls in order to provide more support to the smallerof the base walls.

According to a preferred embodiment, the base wall of the respectivebracket portions are provided with interengaging means to allow therespective base walls to be moved relative to one another. For example,one simple means allowing the respective base wall portions to beslidable relative to one another includes one or more slot openingsprovided on a base wall of a first bracket portion and one or moreraised members provided on a base wall of a second bracket portion, saidraised members adapted to engage the slot openings and be slidabletherein.

Preferably, there will be at least a pair of interengaging meansprovided. Normally, the interengaging means provided in a form whichmaintains the required strength of the bracket and form which allows aneasy slidable action, but also a robust slidable action which resistsmovement upon application of a small force.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, a pair of slotopenings is provided in a base wall of a first bracket portion. A basewall of a second bracket portion is preferably provided with a pair ofupstanding portions, each standing proud of an upper surface of the basewall. Preferably, each of the upstanding portions is formed by firstlyforming an opening in the base wall, and subsequently forcing thesurrounds of the opening upwardly, for example using a punch or similar.

At this point during manufacture, the respective bracket portions willnormally be assembled such that the upstanding portions of the secondbracket portion are received through the respective slot openings in thebase wall of the first bracket portion.

Following the assembly step, the upper extremity of at least a portionof the upstanding portion is then preferably deformed to partiallyoverlie the surrounds of each slot opening. The deformation steppreferably forms an annular, substantially C-shaped channel into whichthe edges of the slot opening are received and retained.

Preferably, the deformation step does not fix the upstanding portions tothe surrounds of the slot openings and the respective base walls willremain slidable relative to one another but are permanently attached toone another.

The above-mentioned method of manufacture and features of theinterengaging means may be adapted, or alternative means provided whilstmaintaining the functional ability of the base walls to be movablerelative to one another to adjust the separation between the sidesupport flanges of the respective bracket portions.

A major advantage of the above-mentioned method however is that theopenings about which the upstanding portions are formed also provideopenings through which fasteners can extend to fix the bracket to thebuilding member which it supports.

According to a preferred embodiment, the orientation planes of theflanges and the base wall may be mutually perpendicular to each other.Typically the angle between the planes of the flanges will beapproximately 90°, with the angle between the plane of the base wallbeing 90° also.

According to an alternative embodiment, the angle between the firstplane and the second plane may be other than perpendicular to create abracket known as a skewed bracket allowing attachment of the firstbuilding member relative to the second building member at an angle,typically in a horizontal direction.

According to an alternative embodiment, the angle between the firstplane and the third plane may be other than perpendicular to create abracket also known as a skewed bracket allowing attachment of the firstbuilding member relative to the second building member at an angle,typically upwardly or downwardly in a vertical direction.

There may be a combination of the above two alternative embodiments tocreate a bracket skewed in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

A bracket of the present invention may be used to attach a buildingmember extending in a first direction relative to, and normally directlyto, a building member extending in a second direction, regardless of thedesignation of the building members. That is, the two members may befloor or ceiling members, wall members or other members and there is nolimitation on the use and operation of the bracket of the presentinvention depending upon the position, use or location of the buildingmembers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention will be described with reference tothe following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 (Prior Art) is a perspective view of a pair of building memberswith a conventional face mounted bracket supporting one member relativeto the other.

FIG. 2 (Prior Art) is a perspective view of a pair of building memberswith a conventional top mounted bracket supporting one member relativeto the other.

FIG. 3 (Prior Art) is a perspective view of a pair of building memberswith a conventional face mounted, downwardly skewed bracket supportingone member relative to the other.

FIG. 4 (Prior Art) is a perspective view of a pair of building memberswith a conventional face mounted split bracket supporting one memberrelative to the other.

FIG. 5 (Prior Art) is a perspective view of a conventional bracket usedfor face mounting.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an adjustable bracket according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view from beneath the adjustable bracketillustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a detailed perspective view of the interengaging means of theadjustable bracket illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a view from above an adjustable bracket as illustrated in FIG.6 with the cited support members in their narrowest configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, an adjustable bracket10 for supporting a first beam 11 extending in a first directionrelative to a second beam 12 extending in a second direction isprovided.

The bracket 10 illustrated in the accompanying figures includes a pairof bracket portions (left hand portion and right hand portion), eachbracket portion having an attachment flange 13 oriented in a firstplane, a side support 14 oriented in a second plane and a base wall 15oriented in a third plane, wherein the separation distance between theside supports 14 of the respective bracket portions is adjustable toaccommodate different thickness of beams 11 therebetween.

According to the illustrated embodiment, a single attachment flange 13is provided extending over the height of each bracket portion.

Each attachment flange 13 includes a number of attachment openings 16adapted to receive attachment fasteners therethrough, the number andposition of the openings 16 depending upon the size of the flanges 13and the openings 16.

The attachment flanges 13 of the illustrated embodiment are formedintegrally with the side supports 14.

According to the illustrated embodiment, a single side support 14 isprovided extending over the height of each bracket portion,substantially equal in height to the attachment flange 13.

Each side support 14 includes a number of attachment openings 16 adaptedto receive attachment fasteners therethrough, the number and position ofthe openings 16 depending upon the size of the side supports 14 and theopenings 16.

The side supports 14 of the illustrated embodiment are formed integrallywith the attachment flanges 13.

As illustrated generally in FIG. 6 and more particularly in FIG. 8, thebase wall 15 of each of the bracket portions are connected to oneanother in a slideable manner. The base wall 15A of one of the bracketportions is larger than the base wall 15B of the other bracket portion.The larger base wall 15A is located beneath (or outside) the other basewall 15B in order to provide more support to the smaller of the basewalls 15B.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the base wall of the respectivebracket portions are provided with interengaging means to allow therespective base walls to be moved relative to one another. A pair ofslot openings 17 are provided on the base wall 15B of a first bracketportion and a pair of upstanding members 18 are provided on the basewall 15A of a second bracket portion, said upstanding members 18 adaptedto engage the slot openings 17 and be slidable therein.

According to the illustrated embodiment, each of the upstanding members18 is formed by first forming an opening 19 in the base wall 15A, andsubsequently forcing the surrounds of the opening 19 upwardly, forexample using a punch or similar.

At this point during manufacture, the respective bracket portions areassembled such that the upstanding portions 18 of the base wall 15A arereceived through the respective slot openings 17 in the base wall 15B ofthe first bracket portion.

Following the assembly step, the upper extremity of at least a portionof the upstanding portion 18 is then deformed to partially overlie thesurrounds of each slot opening 17. The deformation step forms anannular, substantially C-shaped channel (not shown) into which the edgeor periphery of the slot opening 17 are received and retained.

The deformation step does not fix the upstanding portions 18 to thesurrounds of the slot openings 17 and the respective base walls remainslidable relative to one another but are permanently attached to oneanother.

The functional ability of the base walls to be movable relative to oneanother allows adjustment the separation between the side supports 14 ofthe respective bracket portions.

A major advantage of the above-mentioned method however is that theopenings 19 about which the upstanding portions 18 are formed alsoprovide openings through which fasteners can extend to fix the bracket10 to the beam 11 which it supports.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the orientation planes of theflanges and the base wall are mutually perpendicular to each other.Typically the angle between the planes of the flanges will beapproximately 90°, with the angle between the plane of the base wallbeing 90° also.

In the present specification and claims (if any), the word “comprising”and its derivatives including “comprises” and “comprise” include each ofthe stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or morefurther integers.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, theappearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” invarious places throughout this specification are not necessarily allreferring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more combinations.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described inlanguage more or less specific to structural or methodical features. Itis to be understood that the invention is not limited to specificfeatures shown or described since the means herein described comprisespreferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is,therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within theproper scope of the appended claims (if any) appropriately interpretedby those skilled in the art.

1. An adjustable bracket for supporting a first building memberextending in a first direction relative to a second building memberextending in a second direction, the bracket including a pair of bracketportions, each bracket portion having an attachment flange oriented in afirst plane, a side support oriented in a second plane and a base walloriented in a third plane, wherein the separation distance between theside supports of the respective bracket portions is adjustable toaccommodate different thickness of first building members therebetween.2. An adjustable bracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein a singleattachment flange is provided extending over the height of each bracketportion.
 3. An adjustable bracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein theattachment flange is formed integrally with the side support of eachbracket portion.
 4. An adjustable bracket as claimed in claim 1 whereineach attachment flange includes a number of attachment openings adaptedto receive attachment fasteners therethrough.
 5. An adjustable bracketas claimed in claim 1 wherein a single side support is providedextending over the height of each bracket portion, substantially equalin height to the attachment flange.
 6. An adjustable bracket as claimedin claim 5 wherein each side support includes a number of attachmentopenings adapted to receive attachment fasteners therethrough.
 7. Anadjustable bracket as claimed claim 1 wherein the base wall of each ofthe bracket portions are connected to one another in a moveable manner.8. An adjustable bracket as claimed in claim 5 wherein a slideableconnection is provided between the base wall of each of the bracketportions.
 9. An adjustable bracket as claimed in claim 8 wherein thebase wall of one of the bracket portions is larger than the base wall ofthe other bracket portion.
 10. An adjustable bracket as claimed in claim9 wherein the larger base wall is located outside the other of the basewalls in order to provide more support to the smaller of the base walls.11. An adjustable bracket as claimed in claim 8 wherein the base wall ofone of the bracket portions includes one or more slot openings and oneor more upstanding members are provided on the base wall of a secondbracket portion, said raised members adapted to engage the slot openingsand be slidable therein.
 12. An adjustable bracket as claimed in claim11 wherein each of the upstanding members is formed by forming anopening in the base wall, and subsequently forcing the surrounds of theopening upwardly.
 13. An adjustable bracket as claimed in claim 12wherein the upper extremity of at least a portion of the upstandingportion is deformed to partially overlie the surrounds of each slotopening to form an annular, substantially C-shaped channel into whichedges of the slot opening are received and retained.
 14. An adjustablebracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein the attachment flange, the sidesupport and the base wall of each bracket portion are orthogonal to eachother.
 15. An adjustable bracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein the anglebetween the attachment flange and the side support of the bracketportions is other than perpendicular to create a skewed bracket.
 16. Anadjustable bracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein the angle between theattachment flange and the base wall of the bracket portions is otherthan perpendicular to create a skewed bracket.
 17. An adjustable bracketas claimed in claim 1 wherein the attachment flanges are adapted for“face” mounting of the bracket.
 18. An adjustable bracket as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the attachment flanges are adapted for “top” mounting ofthe bracket.